The Hurricanes were formed to represent the lower North Island with the conception of the Super 12 competition in 1996, which featured teams from New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. The Hurricanes had a poor first season, but rebounded in 1997 with a third placing. The team did not reach the play-offs for another five years as the team struggled in the bottom four of the table. Since 2003 the Hurricanes have made the post-season play-offs five times out of the last eight seasons; including the 2006 final, which they lost in horrendously foggy weather against the Crusaders 19-12. The 2015 season has been the Hurricanes best season to date after they finished the regular season first overall and hosted their first Super Rugby Final.

The Hurricanes were formed in 1996 as one of five New Zealand Super 12 teams, and were originally called the "Wellington Hurricanes". The team's first coach was former All BlackFrank Oliver while Mark "Bull" Allen was named as captain. Their first match, played at Palmerston North Showgrounds against the Auckland Blues, was the first ever Super Rugby match. They lost it 36-28. The team performed below expectations in the inaugural year of the competition and finished ninth. In 1997 the team made the semi-finals, losing in Canberra to the ACT Brumbies. However the consistent form shown during this season would not be seen again for many years.

Following their 1997 season, the Hurricanes failed to qualify for the semi-finals until 2003. Despite this, they were still known for the attacking nature of their backline that included the All Blacks stars Tana Umaga and Christian Cullen. The team played with flair and could score at any moment, whatever their position on the field, giving rise to the teams catch cry of 'expect the unexpected'. However the team struggled for consistent performances and at crunch time in matches, leading to patchy form and results.

After the 1999 World Cup, Jonah Lomu's contract with the NZRU expired he was linked to many clubs around the world, in rugby league as well as union and also the NFL'sDallas Cowboys.[3] On 23 November 1999 it was announced that the winger had resigned from the NZRU and agreed terms with the Wellington Rugby Union, despite a reported a £1.1 million offer by Bristol.[3][4] The move to the Wellington union meant he could be included in the protected group of players for the Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes also opened 2000 with a new stadium. The highlights of that year included the victory over eventual champions the Crusaders, 41-29, in front of a packed house. At the end of the season the 'Canes still had a mathematical chance of making the semis and only had to beat the Bulls to stay in contention. However, the Hurricanes played one of their worst games of the year, losing the match to one of the worst performing teams at that point in the competition's history and lost the possibility of qualifying for the semi-finals. The team finished eighth on the table.

Despite the Wellington Lions (whom most of the Hurricanes squad were chosen from) winning the 2000 NPC,[5] the Hurricanes finished ninth in the final standings in 2001; one worse than the year before. Another ninth placing in 2002 resulted in Graham Mourie, who had led the team since 2000, resigning.[6]

In spite of reports that Colin Cooper, the then Crusaders assistant-coach, had said he was "not yet ready to jump ship" and wanted to stay with the South Island franchise,[7] the Hurricanes were able to lure him away from the champions and made him their head coach for the 2003 season.

Cooper, along with newly appointed captain Tana Umaga, helped to mould the inconsistent and ill-disciplined Hurricanes into one of the top teams in the competition.[8] 2003 was the beginning of a new era for the Hurricanes as they reached the semi-finals for just the second time in their history on the back of a strong seven-game winning streak mid-season. Their success came partly with the breakout year for mid-fielder Ma'a Nonu, his strong performances and partnership with captain Tana Umaga pushed out former All BlackPita Alatini and saw him score six tries en route to the All Black squad. The team also benefited from the steady hand of David Holwell at first five-eighth and an improving and mobile forward pack. Hurricanes stalwart Christian Cullen would leave New Zealand shores for Irish club Munster after his omission from the All Blacks 2003 World Cup squad, despite scoring eight tries during the season.

All Black great Jonah Lomu was left out of the 2004 squad, due to a life-threatening illness that would eventually result in a kidney transplant. He would never again play for the Hurricanes.

The majority of the team was retained< for 2005.[9] including new centre Conrad Smith.[10] The Hurricanes came back in 2005 to the form that saw them make the playoffs two years prior. Former New Zealand Colt FlyhalfJimmy Gopperth was the real "find" of the season, scoring 139 points, which helped offset the departure of David Holwell to Ireland. The Hurricanes had tried to sign Australian playmaker Brock James, who had starred the previous NPC season for Taranaki[11] and the Blues, and young star Luke McAlister indicated that he would like to play in Wellington.[12] With both Daniel Carter and Aaron Mauger at the Crusaders capable of playing first five-eighth the team also made an attempt to lure Andrew Mehrtens to Wellington, without success.

In 2006 two new teams entered the competition, the Bloemfontein-based Central Cheetahs from South Africa and the Perth-based Western Force from Australia, creating the Super 14. Rodney So'oialo was appointed captain of the Hurricanes to succeed former All Black captain Tana Umaga.[13] The team won all but four matches. They made their first Super Rugby final but lost to the Crusaders in a match played under thick fog. Following the match there was an incident in a nightclub involving Chris Masoe and Tana Umaga. The club finances benefitted from on-pitch success, with NZ$1.36 million profit on its 2006 turnover of NZ$7.44 million.

The Hurricanes returned to the semi-finals in both 2008 and 2009, however were unable to capture the same success in subsequent seasons. [14] 2011 saw the arrival of Mark Hammett as coach and the departure of Andrew Hore, Ma'a Nonu and Piri Weepu.

2015 saw the Hurricanes finish first in the regular season, topping the table with 66 points and a win-loss record of 14-2 in round robin play. The Hurricanes picked up the New Zealand Conference trophy after beating the Highlanders. Prior to the game they were told of the tragic death of former Hurricane Jerry Collins, who some players had played alongside. After beating the Brumbies in the Semi-Final, the Hurricanes had a chance to win the championship with a sold-out home Super Rugby Final against the Highlanders. They lost this final 21-14. It was a heartbreaking result, and the final Super Rugby match for Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu and Jeremy Thrush - all Hurricanes that have played over 100 caps.

The Hurricanes play the majority of their home matches at the 34,500 capacity Westpac Stadium on Wellington's waterfront. The stadium is affectionately known as The Cake-Tin in Wellington and throughout New Zealand due to its shape. It was opened in 2000 to replace Athletic Park, where the team had been previously based. Arena Manawatu in Palmerston North and McLean Park in Napier have also played host to Hurricanes matches.

In the initial years of the competition the Hurricanes played once, or occasionally twice, away from their Wellington base depending on whether they had five or six games per year. Such a policy was welcomed given the large geographic area that the team was drawn from. However, in recent years the team has seldom ventured from Wellington, despite the expansion to 14 and now 15 teams meaning two additional games per year.

The Hurricanes had amongst the most loyal fans in the competition in the early and middle years of the Super 12. In recent years, support has declined with significantly poorer crowds at Westpac Stadium. This decline in support was exacerbated in 2011, with the announcement of the departure of several notable players for the 2012 season. Other influences of note in the support base include the Wellington centredness of the franchise, as games held in the other provinces in the catchment, have been few and far between, as have players from these provinces. For these two reasons, support has declined rapidly for the Hurricanes.

In 2012, it was announced that a new company, Hurricanes' Investment Ltd Partnership, had purchased a license from the NZRU to operate the club.[16] Whilst the NZRU retains ownership of the team, as well as control of the contracts of the players and head coach, the licensee is responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations. Hurricanes' Investment Ltd Partnership is a joint venture between the Wellington Rugby Football Union and a consortium of private investors, led by noted economist and author Gareth Morgan.[17]

The Hurricanes have fielded a development team in competitions such as the Pacific Rugby Cup and in matches against other representative teams for several seasons. Known as the Hurricanes Development XV, the squad is selected from the best emerging rugby talent in the Hurricanes catchment area and is composed of Hurricanes contracted players, wider training group members, under 20s, and selected club players.[18]

(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped, WTG denotes Wider Training Group players,ST denotes players not initially included in the named squad, but subsequently signed on a short-term deal.